Originally Posted by ToddMcF2002
I'm only about 45 minutes into the game (at the first villiage), but the number of cutscenes is killing me. I can't walk 5 feet without one and the sense of exploration is next to 0.

It's a narration heavy RPG, so, if you expect something like Gothic series, I think you chose a wrong RPG. Hmmm…I figured this out even before the game comes out so I guess you didn't do your homework before you bought the game. Some parts such as the second chapter is relatively more focused on exploration, though.

That said, indeed, one of my complaints is that the cut-scenes don't fit when playing in the bird view, which makes them feel more abrupt and unnatural. Then again, even this was obvious in the demo. Somehow, I think the console version would feel more natural in terms of the transition between cut-scenes and game-play view. I don't have a habit to play console games, so, I am not going to confirm it by myself, though.

Thanks for the feedback folks. I'll keep playing it and see how it pans out. As far as buying the wrong RPG…. like many of you I suppose I buy alot of RPGs and they sit in queue for years. The Witcher has been on my shelf since release along with dozens of unplayed games.

My favorite is the Gothic series. I also enjoyed Morrowind and Oblivion to a lesser extent because of the creature/drop scaling. I played and enjoyed the NWN1 series. NWN2 is on deck. For MMO LOTRO is my favorite. Temple of Elemental Evil and BG1 are on the top of my list as well.

The first parts of the game including the village are slow and a bit of a put off, but once you get into the city you will realize a big change in many aspects that let you know it was all a tutorial of sorts. They get you use to the fighting system, the game twists, the story line openings and how to use and do most every aspect. The city is where the game really starts IMHO.

— Bart and Corwin should just admit that when it gets down to it, I will have the final say.

Woo weird view of the game, the village part is an important part of the game, and not at all the same than the short tutorial introduction. If you don't like this village part I doubt you'll enjoy much more the whole game. But I agree some later parts are better.

Originally Posted by Dasale
Woo weird view of the game, the village part is an important part of the game, and not at all the same than the short tutorial introduction. If you don't like this village part I doubt you'll enjoy much more the whole game. But I agree some later parts are better.

I just started the village (killed the dogs) so I can't draw conclusions. Sounds like I just finished the tutorial essentially. No worries!

I'm a huge Gothic fan and I loved the witcher, it's a great RPG I can't remember the last time I played a game with real consequences, and btw I loved the cut-scenes, they could thrill you at times and really they were just well made in my opinion, not well positioned mind you (sometimes they cut in the middle of the fight) but well made nonetheless.

now I just wish I could use strong style and group style with the unnamed hero from Gothic

There were cutscenes in the Witcher? Heh, j/k, but I quite enjoyed the cutscenes there (like when the barghests attack).

Originally Posted by Cm
The first parts of the game including the village are slow and a bit of a put off

Funny you should say that, just moments ago I read a short interview with a few guys from CDP Red where they said that people have been complaining about the beginning being slow, so the prologue and chapter 1 in the Rise of The White Wolf will be changed slightly.

I finished the village and I'm in town now. It opened up nicely, about equivalent to Drakensang for exploration. The usual BS fences keep you from places but the game certainly has improved.

I still have some complaints though.

The melee combat is pretty tedious, but I'm starting to develop magic a bit to mix things up. Also on the melee, sometimes the system seems non responsive? Occasionally Geralt simply refuses to swing when commanded, usually in the Strong style.

One big issue is that the dreaded "cut scenes" can trigger during combat. It has happened to me at least 3 times. How dumb is that? Couldnt they simply do a hostile entity check before throwing the player into a ridiculous cutscene???

Finally, the escort quests really stink. You can't tell the NPC to hold back and they just love to launch themselves into melee to "help out" and get themselves killed. Seriously it is like moths to a bug zapper.

The one thing that is a huge hit for me with this game is the setting. The dreary, cloudy, slimy and in some cases disgusting gutter feel of the environment. They really nailed it. Amazing art design really. Secondly the story is strong. Too bad they resort to so much linearity to tell the story. I'm not so sure I'm happy about "cinematic" gameplay. I hope Dragon Age isnt like this.

Originally Posted by ToddMcF2002
The melee combat is pretty tedious, but I'm starting to develop magic a bit to mix things up. Also on the melee, sometimes the system seems non responsive? Occasionally Geralt simply refuses to swing when commanded, usually in the Strong style.

The combat could be better, but it's actually kinda fun if you explore it a bit. Suggestions:

1. Play at Hard. At lower levels, you're just staring at the stupid flaming-sword icon and clicking away like a monkey. (Hard isn't all that hard anyway.)
2. Use alchemy a lot — potions, oils, even bombs.
3. Use signs a lot — Aard and Igni are especially nice. Aard + finishing move ends lots of fights quickly.
4. Practice switching styles on the fly. Especially once you've built up your character a bit, you'll start causing special effects like pain, blinding, or bleeding: when that happens, it's time to switch to Strong mode and finish 'em off.
5. Practice combat acrobatics. You can vault over opponents to get into better position.

The real problem with the combat is that you don't actually *need* to do any of this — the fights are all winnable just by picking the right style and clicking away. They're just a lot more fun (not to mention over more quickly) if you do learn to fight in more diverse ways.

One big issue is that the dreaded "cut scenes" can trigger during combat. It has happened to me at least 3 times. How dumb is that? Couldnt they simply do a hostile entity check before throwing the player into a ridiculous cutscene???

Agree. Fortunately, it's not all *that* frequent, and gets less frequent deeper into the game.

Finally, the escort quests really stink. You can't tell the NPC to hold back and they just love to launch themselves into melee to "help out" and get themselves killed. Seriously it is like moths to a bug zapper.

Agree. Fortunately there aren't all that many escort quests — and in some of the later ones, the escortee actually has the sense to run and hide at the first sign of trouble.

The one thing that is a huge hit for me with this game is the setting. The dreary, cloudy, slimy and in some cases disgusting gutter feel of the environment. They really nailed it. Amazing art design really. Secondly the story is strong. Too bad they resort to so much linearity to tell the story. I'm not so sure I'm happy about "cinematic" gameplay. I hope Dragon Age isnt like this.

Yup. That only gets better as the game goes on, though, and there are some real branches in the story too. But it definitely is a fairly tightly structured game rather than a free-roamer à la Fallout.

Originally Posted by ToddMcF2002
Secondly the story is strong. Too bad they resort to so much linearity to tell the story. I'm not so sure I'm happy about "cinematic" gameplay. I hope Dragon Age isnt like this.

Dragon Age? Shouldn't it be at least, Risen? Bioware games are also known for their cinematic cutscenes…so…

Originally Posted by ToddMcF2002
lso on the melee, sometimes the system seems non responsive? Occasionally Geralt simply refuses to swing when commanded, usually in the Strong style.

I've found this too, especially after you've taken your sword styles to level 4 (when powerup is activated). He starts making a move, but stops in a pose that I think is similar to the one he makes when deflecting arrows. Oddly enough I dont remember having the same problem before the enhanced edition.

I ended up going back to an older save and not taking the fourth level sword styles but rather using signs pretty heavily…

I put a few more hours into the game today. Its sooooooo much better than the first few hours. Chapter II is alot better than Chapter I. I hesitate to add another negative, but the "has to be in the Bestiary" quest limitation is annoying me. I need an entry to extract tongues? But I can do brains? Hmm ok…. Not a huge deal but it is annoying.

Another thing I find puzzling is the Alchemy. They have put all these layered complications into the system and then they put in "auto ingredient" slotting? Strange. I find I'm longing for Drakensang's system that tells you what you are missing and allows you to slot ingredients. It helps you learn the formulas. The auto slotting and the rollups to base ingredients complexity is puzzling.

Originally Posted by ToddMcF2002
I put a few more hours into the game today. Its sooooooo much better than the first few hours. Chapter II is alot better than Chapter I. I hesitate to add another negative, but the "has to be in the Bestiary" quest limitation is annoying me. I need an entry to extract tongues? But I can do brains? Hmm ok…. Not a huge deal but it is annoying.

It's a different creature. If it's not in the bestiary, you might end up extracting the tongue of altogether the wrong kind of monster, and the Lord knows what would happen *then!*

Another thing I find puzzling is the Alchemy. They have put all these layered complications into the system and then they put in "auto ingredient" slotting? Strange. I find I'm longing for Drakensang's system that tells you what you are missing and allows you to slot ingredients. It helps you learn the formulas. The auto slotting and the rollups to base ingredients complexity is puzzling.

Have you checked out secondary substances? Auto-slot doesn't consider them, so if you want to really optimize your potions you do still have to assemble them manually. It makes a real difference; for example, using albedo as a secondary for some of the more toxic concoctions makes them way more usable.